In the theatre of political absurdity, Dr Ernest Hilaire stands centre stage as the Minister responsible for the Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP). If hypocrisy had a face, it would undoubtedly resemble his, as he finds himself ensnared in a web of his lies and accusations. It’s almost laughable how he condemned the previous administration for mismanaging the CIP- only to step into the very same shoes as the CIP czar- which he now laces with even grander arrogance. It is worth noting that in 2021, the Investment Migration Insider IMI, the leading professional platform in the migration investment field, assessed St. Lucia’s CIP as one of the most transparent in the Caribbean during the tenure of the Allen Chastanet-led UWP administration.
Hilaire’s criticism of the UWP administration exemplifies neurotic projection, a classic move in his sullied playbook. Incidentally, neurotic projection is a psychological defence mechanism in which an individual attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or behaviours to someone else.
This behaviour is often used to deflect attention from one’s own flaws or wrongdoing and to shift the focus onto someone else. With grand theatrics, Hilaire points fingers, declaring, “Look over there! The members of the opposition are the true offenders!” while secretly plotting to replicate and exacerbate the same and even more egregious misdeeds than he accused them of. His administration of the CIP hasn’t hesitated to showcase this duplicity and deficiency, especially as he now oversees a CIP that’s spiralling into disarray and shame.
Accountability under Hilaire’s watch is astonishingly absent, turning transparency into a distant memory. We bear witness to a veritable circus at the CIP devoid of annual reports or audited accounts for two years. His leadership, or lack thereof, has turned negligence, incompetence and obfuscation into an art form, with all the finesse of a ringmaster orchestrating chaos.
Recent developments raise serious eyebrows: The arrest and charge of Aleksander Mijajlovic, the Director of Bemax Caribbean Inc.—a recent CIP-approved developer by the Government of St. Lucia under the new Infrastructure Program. He was arrested and charged for being the head of the largest criminal organization involved in international smuggling and contraband in Eastern Europe. This raises serious questions about the level of due diligence exercised by the CIP under Hilaire’s watch.
The backdating to January 2024 of the Gazette announcing the approval of Bemax Caribbean Inc. as one of the two approved developers in the Infrastructure Program, one month prior to the arrest of Aleksander Mijajlovic, is highly suspicious and drives another nail in Ernest Hilaire’s coffin of sound judgment. The infamous and beleaguered Caribbean Galaxy is the other approved developer in the aforementioned program is Caribbean Galaxy. The Chinese company has been fingered in a criminal investigation associated with corruption, money laundering and fraud in the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Program.
Moreover, the MSR Media RICO lawsuit was filed in a US federal court in Florida in which the CEO of the CIP, Mc Claude Emmanuel amongst others, is listed as a defendant and Hilaire as a co-conspirator. This paints a dire picture of the integrity of the entire operation. Swirling allegations of billions of dollars in missing funds from the proceeds of citizenship sales by Caribbean Galaxy, coupled with the stagnant progress on the CIP hotel development at Canelles in Vieux-Fort is damning.
It’s crystal clear that Hilaire’s SLP administration prioritizes the preservation of their political power over the welfare of St. Lucia’s citizens. They are intently focused on burying the truth, even if it means sacrificing the nation’s integrity and future.
Let’s not mince words: Dr. Ernest Hilaire is alarmingly unfit to hold public office. His actions represent a grave threat to the very fabric of St. Lucia’s democracy. It is time for the people of St. Lucia to wake up and smell the smoke-the smoke of deceit, and hypocrisy. The smoke billowing from the CIP under Hilaire’s watch is not just a mere haze; it’s a raging inferno threatening the good name and reputation of our country; threatening our correspondent banking relations; threatening our visa-free access to over 140 countries and; threatening our country’s national development ambitions and aspirations.
The people of St. Lucia deserve a government that prioritises their needs and well-being, not one that panders to the interests of a select elite. It is high time for a profound change. It’s time for Hilaire to exit stage left, allowing the citizens to reclaim their democracy and government from the clutches of deception and restore integrity and governance to St. Lucia.